Re: What are you drinking tonight? (Spring '07)

Originally Posted by Barrel_Proof

I have a case of 2005 Haut-Bages Liberal on order, but have never had the Averous in any vintage.

I liked it alright. It probably could have done with another couple years in the basement. But I picked it up on a whim and wanted to drink it, so down it went. There was some good fruit there, but it wasn't very open yet.

Re: What are you drinking tonight? (Spring '07)

First, I made a variant of the Red Hook with Rittenhouse BIB; as usual, I added a splash of Luxardo maraschino liqueur, but instead of using Punt e Mes, I used Carpano Antica Formula and a few generous dashes of Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Bitters. This has a different character from the Punt e Mes-based cocktail, as the Fee's bitters have a distinctive cinnamon/clove note.

As an aside, having tasted both Punt e Mes and Antica Formula straight up, there's a definite family resemblance, as there ought to be. Antica Formula has a slight bitter side to it, while Punt e Mes cranks it up.

I continued the Rittenhouse BIB theme with a Cocktail a la Louisiane - a definite favorite of mine. Think of a Sazerac with extra complexity - mmmmmmm.

A couple of ice-cold pours of Boomsma Oude Genever, enjoyed on the front porch, have finished the night for me.

Re: What are you drinking tonight? (Spring '07)

A 1:1 vatting of S-W Rebel Yell 90-proof and BHC VSOF. All 90-proof S-W whiskey, and greater than the sum of its parts. I like it so much I vatted the remainder of both bottles (four pours each) at 1:1. That'll be a nice wheater to have on hand in the coming weeks.

Re: What are you drinking tonight? (Spring '07)

I was out of town for a couple of days, with JTS Brown BIB in my flask and it's quite a nice whiskey, and an astonishing bargain for $8.99. It's not, unfortunately, widely distributed. I got mine in Louisville.

Before that some Wild Turkey 101, which is not hitting me right, though I intend to give it a few more chances. It just seems very young to me, sort of Jack Daniel's Black Label-like. I'm not going out on the ledge yet, but I'm concerned.